Author: colorsnews.in

22 August 2025 colorsnews.in

DPL Season 2: West Delhi Lions edge Central Delhi Kings in last-over thriller

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) The Delhi Premier League (DPL) clash between Central Delhi Kings and West Delhi Lions turned into a nail-biter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, with the Lions holding their nerves to seal a dramatic three-run win.

Chasing 179, the Kings needed just seven runs in the final over, but Anirudh Chowdhary produced a masterclass in death bowling. Keeping his calm under pressure, Chowdhary conceded only three runs and dismissed skipper Jonty Sidhu (56 off 41) to deliver a memorable victory for the Lions. He finished with figures of 1-24 in three overs, with his final over proving decisive.

The Kings’ chase had begun on a shaky note, losing a couple of early wickets. But opener Yash Dhull kept them in the hunt with a fluent 72 off 49, stitching together a 79-run stand with his captain. Sidhu’s composed half-century, combined with a handy 23 off 12 from Aditya Bhandari, gave the Kings hope. Still, the late squeeze from Chowdhary and support from Shivank Vashisht (1-16 in three overs) tilted the contest in the Lions’ favour.

Earlier, batting first, West Delhi Lions endured their struggles, slipping to 65/4 before wicketkeeper-batter Krish Yadav anchored the innings. Yadav’s resilient 85 off 60 balls held the innings together, while Hrithik Shokeen (20 off 11) and Ravneet Tanwar’s late flourish ensured the Lions reached a fighting total of 178/8 in 20 overs. For the Kings, Arun Pundir was the pick of the bowlers, returning exceptional figures of 2-16 in four overs.

In the end, it was Chowdhary’s ice-cool final over that stole the spotlight, handing West Delhi Lions a thrilling victory.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Outer Delhi Warriors put up a commanding all-round display to defeat North Delhi Strikers by 7 wickets in a high-scoring Delhi Premier League (DPL) clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The victory gave the Warriors two crucial points.

Brief scores:

West Delhi Lions 178/6 in 20 overs (Krish Yadav 85, Hrithik Shokeen 20; Arun Pundir 2-16) beat Central Delhi Kings 175/5 in 20 overs (Yash Dhull 72, Jonty Sidhu 56; Anirudh Chowdhary 1-24, Shivank Vashisht 1-16) by three runs

–IANS

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22 August 2025 colorsnews.in

US Open: Gauff, Keys and Anisimova together in bottom half; Sabalenka faces a tough road to semis

New York, Aug 22 (IANS) American women have performed superbly in recent months and and three of their top stars — Coco Gauff (No. 3), Madison Keys (No. 6) and Amanda Anisimova (No. 8) — have been placed in the same half of the 2025 US Open women’s singles main draw, which was revealed on Thursday.

All three of the players are in the top 10 in WTA Rankings and will be the main threats in the bottom half, while compatriots Jessica Pegula (No. 4) and Emma Navarro (No. 10) will join defending US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in the top half.

Considering that there have been no repeat titlists in Grand Slams this season so far, the US Open winner could be anyone in the top 10. But one trend has remained consistent — an American woman has competed in the past four consecutive Grand Slam finals.

Madison Keys started the trend in 2025 with a victory over Sabalenka in the Australian Open, while Gauff stopped Sabalenka in the Roland Garros final. As Sabalenka looks to defend her US Open title, it is a possibility that she may run into an American player in the last Grand Slam singles title of the year.

Last year, Sabalenka overcame Pegula to win her first US Open singles title, making her the first woman to claim both hard-court majors in a single season since 2016. The two could play a round earlier in New York this year, as No. 1 seed Sabalenka and Pegula have landed in the top half of the draw.

However, their path to the semis clash is quite tricky. Sabalenka will open against Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova, while Pegula starts against Egyptian Mayar Sherif. Sabalenka’s first seeded match-up could come in the third round against No. 31 Leylah Fernandez, while Pegula could meet No. 30 Dayana Yastremska in the third round.

On the way to a potential semifinal, Sabalenka could also face recent Cincinnati runner-up and No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini, and Pegula could run into Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals, who has made it through to the quarters in both Wimbledon and Roland Garros this year.

The 2023 US Open champion will be on a hunt to reclaim the title here. She started this year strong, with a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open, followed by her Roland Garros championship. She’ll begin her 2025 campaign in Flushing with a first-round matchup with Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, who defeated 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams here in the American’s final career match in 2022. Gauff also enters the tournament with a new coach, biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, after parting ways with Matthew Daly just days before the tournament, and figures to come here especially determined, given her first-round exit at Wimbledon. Her best showing this summer has been a run to the quarters at Cincinnati.

Venus Williams back in the fray

After a hiatus last year, Venus Williams is returning to Flushing Meadows in her first Grand Slam singles appearance since the 2023 US Open. Venus is no stranger to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, playing in 24 of the past 27 US Open tournaments, and taking the women’s singles crown in 2000 and 2001.

She’s already gotten some practice on the blue courts, having competed in the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship with Reilly Opelka. A singles advance will take some doing, as having entered the tournament as a wild card, Williams will face No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova in the first round.

–IANS

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22 August 2025 colorsnews.in

Bihar SIR row: Uploaded data of voters omitted in draft list, EC tells SC

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) A day before the crucial hearing in the Supreme Court on pleas challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) filed a status report stating that it has complied with the top court’s interim order on the disclosure of omitted names.

“The booth-wise list of about 65 lakh persons whose names do not appear in the draft electoral roll has been published on the website of all 38 District Election Officers (DEOs) in the state of Bihar, along with reasons for their non-inclusion in the draft electoral roll, i.e., whether it is on account of death, shifting of ordinary residence or duplicate entries,” said the status report filed by the poll body.

It added that the list containing omitted names has also been displayed at Panchayat Bhavans, Block Development Offices, and Panchayat Officer offices across Bihar.

The poll body also apprised the top court that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Assistants (BLAs) are also in possession of the list to assist residents in checking the reasons for their non-inclusion.

“The BLOs/BLAs are also in possession of the said list and they are available to the residents of such villages and urban areas to enable inquiry about the reasons for their non-inclusion and also to seek assistance and for filing claims/objections/corrections in accordance with procedure prescribed by SIR order dated June 24, 2025,” the ECI said.

To ensure public awareness, the poll body said that it has undertaken an extensive publicity campaign informing the online and offline availability of the list to the public through newspapers, radio, electronic media, and social media platforms, including the official accounts of the DEOs.

“The public notices expressly mentions that aggrieved persons may submit their claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar card,” it added.

The ECI annexed reports from all 38 DEOs, along with the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) report on compliance of the interim order of the Supreme Court passed last week.

In a bid to “boost voter confidence”, the Supreme Court, in an interim order passed on August 14, directed the poll body to upload district-wise data of about 65 lakh electors in poll-bound Bihar whose names were omitted in the draft electoral rolls following the initial phase of the SIR.

The information uploaded on the websites of the District Electoral Officers and the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar should be searchable using EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) numbers, directed a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi.

The Justice Kant-led bench said that the ECI would give wide publicity to the list uploaded on the official websites through newspapers, electronic, social media and other means of communication.

The Supreme Court also directed the poll body to specify in public notices that excluded individuals, when submitting their claims for inclusion in the final list, may also furnish their Aadhaar cards.

–IANS

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Sri Lanka is always a threat: Thisara Perera ahead of Asia Cup 2025

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perera has backed the island nation to once again prove themselves as a dangerous side in the upcoming 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup, even if they are not considered outright favourites.

The Asia Cup will be staged in the United Arab Emirates from September 9 to 28, and Sri Lanka have been drawn in Group B alongside Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong. Perera believes the team’s adaptability, balance, and ability to rise to the occasion are qualities that make them particularly dangerous in multi-national tournaments.

He added that while other teams may start as favourites, Sri Lanka’s ability to gel as a unit under pressure often sets them apart.

Sharing his thoughts on Sri Lanka’s chances, Perera said, “I think we have a really good team. In any situation, when they play, they are the right combination. So I think it’s a good challenge for every team.”

Sri Lanka have a rich history in the Asia Cup, having won the title on six occasions across formats, with their most recent triumph coming in the T20 edition in 2022. They also reached the final in the ODI edition in 2023, further underlining their consistency in continental competitions.

Perera pointed out that Sri Lanka’s mix of experienced players and exciting youngsters makes them a well-rounded side capable of upsetting any opposition.

In the upcoming tournament, Sri Lanka’s group stage fixtures will see them open against Bangladesh on September 13 in Abu Dhabi, followed by matches against Hong Kong on September 15 in Dubai, and Afghanistan on September 18 in Abu Dhabi. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Four stage, where the competition is expected to intensify ahead of the final. Strong contenders India and Pakistan are in the other group.

–IANS

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Obstacles from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra for Krishna Upper Bank Project: Karnataka govt

Bengaluru, Aug 21 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Thursday that the Krishna Upper Bank Project has faced repeated hurdles as Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have pressured the Union government to stop the issuance of the notification.

Replying to a query by BJP member P.H. Pujar in the Legislative Council during the Question Hour on the progress of the Krishna Upper Bank Project, Shivakumar said: “Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil has supported this project and insisted that the notification must be issued. He even tried twice to convene a meeting with the concerned states. But both times, Andhra and Maharashtra intervened with phone calls and got it stalled. Both the Chief Minister, State Water Minister Shakti V. Somanna, and I had met the Union Minister and submitted our request.”

“The Krishna Upper Bank Project (Phase-3) requires Rs 2 lakh crore for implementation. Is it even possible? A major scam is already happening in connection with this project. Lawyers are making money in the matter of land compensation, while farmers are not receiving proper relief. If Legislative Council member Pujar convinces the farmers there, a decision can be arrived at within 15 days,” he added.

“The Supreme Court has ordered compensation of Rs 8 to 10 crore per acre. Such an amount of compensation is not available even in Bengaluru. Therefore, the matter of transferring land from the Revenue Department to the Irrigation Department has been placed before the state Cabinet,” he said.

“Already 75,563 acres have been submerged. Notification has been issued for acquisition of only 2,543 acres. In various stages of notification, 29,568 acres have been covered. Acquisition notification is still pending for 43,452 acres. For the construction of canals, 51,000 acres are required, of which notification has been issued for 23,000 acres. For RC land, 6,467 acres are required, of which 3,392 acres (50 per cent) have been acquired,” he added.

Replying to another query by JD-S MLC Suraj Revanna on which villages in Hassan district limits under Hemavathi and Yagachi have been declared free from cold wave impact, Shivakumar said: “Already 12 works have been undertaken at a cost of Rs 16.42 crore to prevent cold wave damage. Another estimate report has sought Rs 27 crore, which has been submitted. Depending on the financial situation, we will consider it,” he said.

“Earlier, MLAs used to recommend roads and community halls through the Water Resources Department. I have stopped all of that now. Our department funds will only be used for canal development and major projects. Regarding this matter, another report will be sought and examined. As members suggested, the court’s observations will also be studied, and only then will we take a decision,” he added.

–IANS

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Karnataka govt writes to ECI on preparations for Bengaluru civic body polls

Bengaluru, Aug 21 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday said that the state government has written to the Election Commission about preparations for the Bengaluru civic body elections.

Replying to a question raised by JD (S) MLC Jawarayee Gowda T.N. in the Legislative Council about implementation of Greater Bengaluru Authority Act (GBA) 2024, the Dy CM said, “GBA came to effect from May 15 and five corporations were formed on July 19. We have allowed receipt of objections till August 18. Some areas have been included and some more need to be included at a later date.”

“The delimitation of wards will take place by November 1. This is being handled a separate team under the leadership of the BBMP Commissioner. We have submitted an affidavit to the court. We will issue a GO for delimitation of wards,” he said.

Replying to a member who urged the government to conduct elections early, the Dy CM said, “I completely agree the suggestion.”

Responding to a question from BJP MLC Keshava Prasad during Question Hour in the Legislative Council, Shivakumar said that 33 packages have been tendered for garbage disposal in Bengaluru. “We have called for tenders for 33 packages in 28 assembly constituencies. We have planned gas and power generation from garbage disposal at four places,” the Deputy CM said.

“We have acquired the land belonging to Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) for waste disposal. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) approval was pending for waste disposal yard near Doddaballapur. We have got a Cabinet approval for the same. We are studying advanced technologies for waste disposal,” he said.

“It is not possible to break the garbage mafia of Bengaluru easily. The mafia did not allow the previous BJP led government also to call for tenders for 98 wards. I have also been fighting this. We have studied waste disposal models in Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai. Our past experiments with generation of power from waste haven’t been successful,” he said.

Replying to a question on garbage cess, the Deputy CM said: “It was the BJP led government in the state which introduced garbage cess in Karnataka in 2020 based on a 2016 order of the Union government. The Gazette notification states exorbitant taxes. We are collecting only 25 per cent of the suggested taxes as we felt it was too high.”

“We are planning to come out with a new law to ensure upkeep of vacant sites. We have made provision for the public to self-declare the amount of garbage they generate. We have instructed the police to take strict action against those who litter public places. CCTVs will be fixed at various places in the city and we have already called for a tender,” Shivakumar added.

–IANS

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Pro Panja League: Kiraak Hyderabad clinch Season 2 title after epic win over Rohtak Rowdies in the final

Gwalior, Aug 21 (IANS) After 17 days of relentless panja action, Kiraak Hyderabad claimed the title in Season 2 of the Pro Panja League, emerging champions by beating Rohtak Rowdies 30-18 in the summit clash here on Thursday.

The winning team has also won a reward of INR 20 lakh on behalf of Pro Panja League. Nirmal Devi of Rohtak Roadies was awarded the ‘Player of the Day’ award. Satnam Singh of Kiraak Hyderabad was announced as the ‘Player of the Tournament’ while Stewe Thomas won the ‘Badshaho ka Badshah’ title.

Kiraak Hyderabad led the whole tournament in terms of points and on the final day lived up to their reputation and sealed a well-deserved and dominant victory. The runners-up from last season, who missed out on the championship by just one point, lifted the trophy this time and etched their name in history.

Stewe Thomas of Kiraak broke the Pro Panja League record by pinning Deepankhor Mech in just 0.09 seconds, breaking the previous record of 0.10 seconds set by Sachin Goyal.

Present during the event were the co-founders of Pro Panja League, Parvinn Dabass and Preeti Jhangiani. Also in attendance were Organising Committee Chairman, Prabal Pratap Singh Tomar, Associate Vice President of Hockey India, Devendra Pratap Singh Tomar, Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, Member of the International Olympic Committee, professional wrestler Saurav Gurjar, and former kabaddi player Rahul Chaudhari. Olympic medallist and Former boxer Vijender Singh was present, cheering for Rohtak Rowdies as team ambassador.

In the final, both teams played a total of 10 matches, four in the Undercard and six in the Main Card, sending one player in every category seen in the league so far to fight for the coveted crown.

The Undercard was all Kiraak Hyderabad as they enjoyed a clean sweep against Rohtak Rowdies to begin the contest. Aviliye Zuyie set the tone with a commanding 2-0 victory over Arshdeep Singh in the 90kg bout. Naveen MV doubled the lead, overpowering Nikhil Singh 2-0 in the 60kg category, before Rachna Jatav extended the advantage and her winning streak with another clean 2-0 win against Karabi Sonowal in the 55kg contest. Rowdies’ Billa Tajamul fought hard to keep his side alive, but the experienced Captain Asker Ali claimed the 80kg clash 2-0 to place his team in a comfortable position ahead of the Main Card matches.

In the Main Card, world champion Srinivas BV in the Specially-Abled Section claimed the opening points for Rohtak Rowdies as he defeated Chandan Kumar Behera of Kiraak Hyderabad 5-0. Nirmal Devi built on the momentum for Rohtak Rowdies as she activated the challenger round and claimed a flawless 10-0 triumph against Jincy Jose in the 65+kg category.

The 18-year-old Aabhas Rana shifted the tide back towards Kiraak Hyderabad in the 100+kg division, defeating Amit Chaudhary 5-0 in a gripping contest. Madhura KN of Kiraak Hyderabad outclassed Ribasuk Lyngdoh 5-0 in the 65kg bout. Madhura asserted her dominance with two flashpins in the first two rounds. Ribasuk tried to hold her opponent in the third round but couldn’t stop her opponent, giving away crucial points to Kiraak Hyderabad.

With the trophy on the line, Hyderabad’s Stewe Thomas delivered his best performance of the season, winning against Deepankhor Mech 10-0 in the 70kg clash. Stewe won the challenger round in style, pinning his opponent in just 0.09 seconds and claiming the title for Kiraak Hyderabad with one match remaining. Despite losing out on the title, Dara Singh of Rohtak Rowdies didn’t lose his spirit and defeated Jagadish Baruah of Kiraak Hyderabad 3-2 in the 100kg category to end the night.

The high-octane, adrenaline-fueled season reached its end on a glorious note, as Kiraak Hyderabad capped off their dominant campaign by lifting the coveted Pro Panja League Season 2 trophy.

–IANS

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Odisha to implement major reforms to strengthen primary education

Bhubaneswar, Aug 21 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced that the Odisha government will soon implement major reforms to strengthen primary education in Odisha, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Chairing a high-level review meeting on the School & Mass Education department at Lok Seva Bhawan here, the Chief Minister emphasised that quality education will be the foundation of a “Prosperous Odisha by 2036.”

In a major decision taken during the review meeting, the Government has decided to merge the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) into one board in order to strengthen the school education system in the state.

Similarly, it was decided during the high-level meeting to regularise all schematic primary school teachers in the state.

The Odisha government also decided to fill 44,433 teaching posts across the state over the next three years. This includes 39,366 new positions to meet NEP requirements, along with filling 5,067 vacancies expected by December 2025.

Nearly 15,000 teachers will be recruited every year. Meanwhile, free textbooks are currently provided up to Class 8, and for SC/ST students in Classes 9 and 10, from now all students up to Class 10 will receive free textbooks.

The government will also upgrade the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) along the lines of NCERT and further strengthen the Directorate of Textbook Publication and Marketing.

To safeguard student health, one ANM or multipurpose health worker will be appointed for every 300 hostel students. All approvals for new private schools will be processed through a fully online system.

During the review meeting, Chief Minister Majhi emphasised the importance of teaching tribal children in their native languages.

To support this initiative, a Multilingual Education Centre will be established in Koraput in partnership with SCSTRTI.

Additionally, trained teachers holding B.Ed degrees in Special Education will be appointed as Resource Persons across various clusters to promote inclusive education.

The meeting also decided that all future educational reforms will focus equally on learning quality and student well-being.

The review was attended by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Principal Secretary to CM Shashwat Mishra, Finance Principal Secretary Sanjeev Mishra, School and Mass Education Secretary Shalini Pandit, OSEPA Director Ananya Das, and other senior officials.

–IANS

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Bengal govt partially complies with EC order; suspends four officials sans FIR

Kolkata, August 21 (IANS) he West Bengal government has partly complied with the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) directive by suspending four officials- two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) of Moyna and Baruipur Purba Assembly Constituencies for alleged voter list malpractices. However, the state government has not lodged FIRs against the officials as mandated by the ECI. The deadline for full compliance was August 21.

On Thursday, state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant updated the Election Commission of India via email on the action taken against the four officials out of which two are West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) officers.

Sources in the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, confirmed received the intimation in this regard from the state government.

Sources in state secretariat said that the government is also contemplating initiating departmental inquiry against the four officials.

In addition, one contractual Data Entry Operator, has been relieved of his duty.

This disciplinary action has been taken on the orders of the Election Commission. It may be noted that the state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant met the full bench of the Election Commission in Delhi recently and promised to comply its directives by August 21.

Serious allegations were made against Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Baruipur East Debottam Dutta Chowdhury, AERO of that centre Tathagata Mandal, and ERO of Maina Biplob Sarkar and AERO of that centre Sudipta Das. The name of a data entry operator named Surjit Halder was also on the list. They were accused of tampering with the voter’s list. On this allegation, the Election Commission had directed that these five should be suspended as well as an FIR should be lodged against them.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had criticised the ECI for ita directive and accused the poll body of being the “bonded labour of the BJP”.

She had also asserted that her government will not take any action against her employees.

–IANS

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US Open: Alcaraz, Djokovic in same half of draw; Sinner plays Kopriva

New York, Aug 21 (IANS) The 2025 French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz will run into 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles semifinals of the US Open to be played at Flushing Meadows here, before a potential summit clash with World No.1 Jannik Sinner, who defeated him in the Wimbledon final.

Alcaraz is bidding to win the year’s last Grand Slam for the second time after his triumph in 2022 and will face our-time winner Djokovic in a blockbuster clash in the last-four stage.

Fresh from his title run in Cincinnati, Alcaraz will start his campaign at the hard-court major against big-serving American Reilly Opelka, it was revealed in the draw conducted here on Thursday. Djokovic will start his campaign against NextGen ATP player Learner Tien.

It will be a mouth-watering clash as Djokovic leads Alcaraz 5-3 in the ATP head-to-head series, having rallied to a four-set win in their latest meeting in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January. Seventh seed Djokovic has not competed since reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon five weeks ago.

Top seed and defending champion Sinner, who is chasing a third major title of the season after winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, opens his campaign against Czech Vit Kopriva. The 24-year-old Italian is seeded to meet last year’s semifinalist, Jack Draper, in the quarters this year. The Briton opens against a qualifier or lucky loser.

Sinner is on a semifinal collision course with third seed Alexander Zverev. The three-time major finalist, who fell to Sinner in this year’s Australian Open championship match, begins against Alejandro Tabilo.

Alcaraz may run into high-calibre opposition on his way to the quarterfinals, which includes former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, recent Toronto winner Ben Shelton, and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud. Sinner may also run into early danger in the top half of the draw. Alexei Popyrin, who last year stunned reigning champion Djokovic, is a potential second-round opponent.

The 10th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti, who is currently ninth in the ATP Live Race To Turin and aiming to debut at the ATP Finals, starts against the 6’ 8” Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The Italian is seeded to meet Draper in the fourth round.

Last year’s finalist, Taylor Fritz, is in Djokovic’s quarter, which includes three young stars who competed in last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals. As well as Djokovic’s first-round opponent, Tien, Joao Fonseca, who won the 2023 US Open boys’ singles title, plays Miomir Kecmanovic, and 28th seed Alex Michelsen faces Francisco Comesana.

Alcaraz will hope to return to winning ways at Flushing Meadows following his shock second-round defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp last year. The 22-year-old Spaniard arrives with a Tour-leading 54 wins and six titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Van de Zandschulp could cause the 11th seed Holger Rune problems in their first-round clash. Alexander Bublik will face 2014 champion Marin Cilic in his first appearance of the North American hard-court swing, while Sebastian Korda begins against Cameron Norrie.

–IANS

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